


slowly, softly

by starwinks



Series: slowly, softly [1]
Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gender-neutral Reader, Light Angst, Multi, No Smut, Romantic Fluff, shane just needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24620407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starwinks/pseuds/starwinks
Summary: Tonight, like most nights, was relatively the same for Shane. Drown himself in regret, drink a little too much, degrade himself until he was nothing more than a living corpse. It was normal - it was safe. However, a certain farmer tumbles into his room before he can get too far into it.
Relationships: Shane (Stardew Valley)/Reader, Shane/Female Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Male Player (Stardew Valley), Shane/Player (Stardew Valley)
Series: slowly, softly [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795156
Comments: 10
Kudos: 116





	slowly, softly

**Author's Note:**

> shane just needs a hug yall
> 
> here's a neat song that i think fits the mood check it out if u want <3  
> https://youtu.be/jx3mRXZEg20

Tonight, like most nights, was relatively the same for Shane. Drown himself in regret, drink a little too much, degrade himself until he was nothing more than a living corpse. It was normal - it was safe. 

He sighed, rolling over onto his back as he stared up at the dark ceiling. 

_ What am I doing here? _

A question he feared he could never answer. Take care of Jas? He supposed that was the reason why he moved here. But shit, that wasn't going great was it? He knew he didn’t spend nearly enough time with her - instead, he spent it wasting his life away at the Saloon drinking sour shit that messed up his liver. Marnie was the one raising her, making sure she did her homework, feeding her, comforting her. Fuck, when was the last time he actually did something with her? He exhaled heavily and rubbed his face.

_ I’m a terrible fucking parent. _

A sudden rustle outside the window disrupted his thoughts. He grabbed his pillow and shoved it over his face, inwardly groaning. A  _ thunk  _ of glass. He threw his pillow on the ground, sitting up on his bed with a sour expression, swearing under his breath as he opened his blinds. 

There you were, a grin lighting up your face as your eyes met. Shane's eyes widened, quickly opening the window. However, the bolt was tough, making him curse as he jiggled it open. Your bright laugh made him redden.

"What are you doing here?" He whispered, his brows furrowed in confusion, assuming the worst. But you smiled the kind of smile that made his heart skip a beat or five, and a spark of warm comfort spread from his head to his toes.

"I wanted to see you." You replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He stopped, staring at you with dazed eyes, the pale moonlight highlighting his face. His dark hair was tousled, messier than usual, but the look was none-the-less endearing. "Are you gonna let me in?"

"I can't let you in through the front, Marnie and Jas will hear." He said quietly, his gaze darting to the door behind him. 

"Then scooch!" You said, grabbing onto the window pane and putting a leg over, placing your foot firmly on his bed. "This is a terrible idea." He hissed, trying to block you with his body as you squirmed against him. 

"Move or I'll shove you!" You retorted playfully, pushing against him. He grunted, falling onto his back as you crawled in, limbs askew as you toppled onto him. You both swore loudly as you fell onto the floor, Shane rolling with you and tumbling on top of you with a loud  _ thud.  _

"Fuck me Shane!" You wheezed, trying to push him off you. "Shut up!" He croaked, putting his hand against your mouth as the floorboards in the next room creaked. You licked it, earning a disgusted look from the man.

"Shane? Is everything okay?" Marnie's sweet voice called from outside his door. His grip on you tightened. 

"Yeah, everything's fine! Just fell over." He called back, his voice surprisingly steady. His hand was a little sweaty. Or maybe it was the saliva from your tongue. 

As the footsteps retreated and a brief moment of tense silence, Shane lifted his hand from your mouth and made a face as he wiped your slobber on his pajama pants. You giggled, wrapping your arms around his neck and playing with the hair at the back of his head. He hummed, kissing you with a small smile. 

“You’re really something else.” He finally whispered breathily, his eyes round and cheeks red. You grinned, pressing your lips against his and kissed his nose. You trailed little kisses to his cheek, under his eyes and forehead. He made a low noise of contentment in his throat.

“I could get used to this.” He murmured, opening his eyes slowly. You cupped his cheek softly; he leaned into it. “What were you doing before?” You asked. The side glance to the floor didn’t go unnoticed by you. 

“Nothing, really. Thinking.” He muttered, staring at the space next to you. You rubbed his cheek with your thumb, brushing a hair out of his face and twirling with it. His gaze snapped back to you, watching you intently. “What were you thinking about?” You asked, wrapping the strand around your finger. He paused, the familiar anxiety setting in his stomach. 

“Hey,” you said gingerly, letting go of the strand to rub his cheek with your thumb. “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I just want to make sure you’re doing okay.” You said tenderly, placing your other hand on the other side of his cheek, holding his face in your hands. His eyes twinkled as a silence filled the room. 

“I just feel like...everything I do will never be good enough.” He said quietly, squeezing his eyes shut. “And that I’ll always be a failure.” He didn’t want to open them - to see you back away, stand up and leave him. 

_ Have I said too much? What if- _

Suddenly you took his hand in yours, bringing the back of it to your lips and lightly nuzzling against it. You turned your head, looking at him as he continued to stare up, too afraid to meet your gaze. 

“Shane, look at me.” 

He turned his head hesitantly to you, his olive eyes filled with clouds of doubt that never leave. Outside, fireflies hummed, their little bodies glowing like embers on a dying fire. 

“You’ve never been a failure, and you never will be.” You whispered, briefly pressing your lips against his hand again.

“You left your life in the city to take care of your goddaughter - giving her a chance of freedom and peace. How many others would have done that?” You asked quietly, stroking his cheek. He said nothing as his glassy eyes peered up at you through his lashes.

“All of your pain, sadness, anger and anxiety will pass. And it will come back, and it will pass again. The only thing we can do is accept it, accept our past and our future, and try our best to make tomorrow a little better.” You said honestly, gently smoothing his chest and shoulders with your hands. 

He didn’t respond immediately. He scanned your face, looking from your eyes to your lips and cheeks. 

And then, he closed his eyes, put his hand on the back of your neck, and kissed you. 

Slowly, softly, his lips tasted of late night indecisions and uncertainty. Slowly, his body relaxed to your touch as he let you wrap your arms around him, holding him close as you kissed him. Softly, he cradled your face between his hands as if you were the most precious gift in the world as he rolled and pulled you on top of him, earning a giggle from you. It made him smile. Your hands felt him, roaming from his face to his neck and his chest. He murmured as his hands traveled, gently feeling the softness of your skin before resting them on your back, holding you close.

As you parted, his warm breath tickled your neck as he smiled. A real smile, the kind where nothing in the world could dim it’s tenderness and affection. He chuckled as he brought you even closer, his face in your hair.

“I love you.” He said in a low voice you almost couldn’t hear him. You stopped briefly as euphoria ran through your veins and your hold on him tightened. You beamed as you kissed him again and again, your grin widening when you felt him laugh beneath you. It rumbled your bones and shook your core - a deep and genuine sound that you didn’t hear nearly enough. 

“I love you too.” You breathed against his lips as he smiled before suddenly standing up with you in his arms. You squeaked as he plopped you onto his bed with a devilish smirk, straddling your waist as he leaned down to whisper in your ear.

“Now let’s see what other sounds I can get from you.”

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: starwinks.tumblr.com


End file.
